Last month, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to attend IHRSA 2024 (now the Health & Fitness Association), which has led to a couple of partnerships we are extremely excited about.

First, even though we had met virtually before, it was great to meet Ruben Hand of Field Tech Fitness Solutions (FTFS) in person. As a prior service tech, Ruben has developed a complete software application built specifically for providers in the fitness equipment industry, the only one of its kind. Having researched numerous field service platforms prior to selecting our current provider, we have seen a lot, and FTFS is by far the best we have seen. Ruben has been wonderful to work with as he has personally put hours into understanding the specifics of our service model at HnP. We have been working together to find the best way to incorporate our workflow into FTFS and Ruben has also been very willing to add features and functionality to FTFS that we have suggested. We are looking forward to making the switch to FTFS this summer, and we would encourage any other fitness equipment service provider to look into how FTFS can make their service run more smoothly.

Second, Ruben introduced me to Adam Niffen of Stride Fitness Solutions, a service provider with locations in Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas. Adam also hosts Fix Your Gym, a podcast exploring the ins and outs of the fitness equipment industry. Naturally, he and I had plenty to talk about. Adam also asked me to be a guest on his podcast, which was a lot of fun as we discussed starting a fitness equipment repair company from the ground up. Adam has a ton of great guests on his show with some unique insights into what is happening behind the scenes in the fitness industry, I highly recommend you check it out. Like a fine wine, Adam’s show keeps improving as time goes on.

Since the show I have spent hours speaking with them both, identifying this industry’s weak points, and brainstorming solutions to improve them. Finding other like-minded servicers like us has been very encouraging, and we all recognize that we are all much better off working together and benefiting from our collective experience.

Additionally, we met and spoke with numerous manufacturers, retailers, service providers and others in the industry experiencing the same pains we are. Collectively, all of us recognize many of the areas of the fitness equipment industry that are overdue for improvement. We’re all looking forward to working together to make positive changes in this industry, not only for ourselves, but all aspects of the industry as a whole.

We are excited about what is to come, our best opportunity yet!